Spring meet purses lowered from 2023 levels

Facing a seven-figure overpayment, Santa Anita has reduced overnight purses by approximately 12 percent for its spring meeting, compared to the corresponding period in 2023.

The spring meetings runs from April 19 to June 16.

The reduction comes at a time when the track has been unable to reverse a downward trend in handle, leading to a severe deficit in the purse pool. Officials told the California Horse Racing Board earlier this year that the purse pool was in arrears by $4 million, with concern the figure could grow before mid-June.

Unlike a majority of states, California tracks do not receive alternative revenue for purses from other sources such as casinos, slot machines, or sports betting.

According to the condition book detailing proposed races for a three-week period from April 19 to May 5, the cuts will affect all overnight races.

A maiden race will be worth $54,000, down from $61,000 in the spring of 2023. A first-condition allowance race will have a prize of $55,000 compared to $63,000 last spring.

The purse of a $20,000 claimer has been reduced from $22,000 in the spring of 2023 to $19,000 this year.

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The track’s current winter-spring meeting ends Sunday, followed by a period without racing on the weekend of April 12-14.

The purses of some stakes have been reduced compared to levels originally advertised in late 2023 after they were downgraded by the American Graded Stakes Committee.

The Grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup will be worth $200,000 on May 27, a decline of $100,000 from what was planned last fall. The race was downgraded from a Grade 1 to a Grade 2 last December. Grade 2 races must have a minimum purse of $200,000.

The Grade 3 Californian Stakes and Grade 3 Royal Heroine Stakes will be worth $100,000, down from their 2023 levels of $200,000 when they were Grade 2 races. Grade 3 races must have a minimum purse of $100,000.

The purse cuts are not limited to Santa Anita.

Del Mar, Golden Gate Fields, and Los Alamitos have reduced purses in the last year. Del Mar has not announced its stakes calendar or purse levels for its popular summer meeting that begins July 20, but track officials told the California Horse Racing Board in January that a reduction is expected.

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